West Chester University will conclude its in-person celebrations for the Class of 2020 today and prepare to celebrate the Class of 2021 beginning Friday, May 14.

To adhere to social-distancing guidelines, the university is hosting smaller, in-person outdoor ceremonies in Farrell Stadium. 

By hosting 14 smaller, in-person commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2020 one year after its original ceremonies were canceled due to the pandemic, WCU has given its 2020 graduates the opportunity to enjoy their earned-but-delayed pomp and circumstance in a safe, socially distanced manner. 

Approximately 250 graduate students will attend today’s commencement ceremonies, the final ones for WCU’s Class of 2020.

Beginning Friday, the university will shift its focus to the Class of 2021 with 14 in-person commencement ceremonies. There are 2,595 undergraduate students eligible to graduate this spring and summer, as well as 546 graduate students.

Approximately 200 graduates, organized by college, will attend each ceremony. Several colleges have large numbers of graduates, requiring several ceremonies for these colleges: Arts and Humanities; Business and Public Management; Health Sciences; Sciences and Mathematics; and the Graduate School.

All ceremonies will be held in Farrell Stadium on South New Street. Each has a rain date, which will also be held in Farrell Stadium. 

Each ceremony will be approximately 45 minutes. All ceremonies will be live streamed. Visit the commencement website the day of the ceremony for the link. 

Although masks are required for all graduates and guests, the graduates will have an opportunity to remove their masks briefly on stage after they receive their diploma covers and as they leave the platform for their formal photograph. 

At this link, viewers can choose to see either the chronological order of ceremonies or the list of ceremonies by college.